


Switched Out

by shortkingvettel



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:33:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29767971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shortkingvettel/pseuds/shortkingvettel
Summary: Set in A/B/O verse where a few special people are born as ‘switches’. They can switch between the genders and are in general superior to other Alphas. Switches can be called to solve conflicts and act as mediators between the genders. A switch has never been needed in Formula 1… until now.
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen, Max Verstappen/OFC mentioned
Comments: 11
Kudos: 69





	1. Outburst

Even though the paddock was a wild mix of Alphas, Betas and Omegas, fights could usually be avoided. Of course the drivers, especially the Alphas, tended to clash from time to time but nothing that couldn’t be handled and settled quietly. Special guidelines were in place to keep everyone safe, there was an Omega safe building only them or their approved mates were allowed to enter and the FIA dealt with any assaults against an Omega or the occasional Beta harshly.

Even though the drivers weren’t all in a pack, Kimi, as the oldest Alpha on the grid, was selected as a sort of pack Alpha. He was to be the mediator in conflicts among them, and the FIA was only involved when even Kimi, with his stoic and objective nature couldn’t intervene and clear the air. Lately they had to call in the FIA quite often. Max, the hot headed, young and sometimes unstable Alpha that he was became more and more of a problem. Raging from outbursts and terrible mood swings when he lost a race, that even Christian and Daniel couldn’t calm him down, to nearly hitting Charles, who was an Omega, when they crashed. 

On the other hand, when he was stressed and his anxiety high or he got into another fight with his father he would lock himself away in his driver’s room and not come out for ages. His room would reek of sadness, stress and sometimes fear. Those days were harder for Daniel than the days when Max was aggressive. He cared a lot for his former teammate and knew how fun and carefree Max could be. He was also aware how much more under pressure Max was put since he left Red Bull. Neither Pierre nor Alex had been able to share the burden of Helmut and Christian’s expectations.  
Max and Daniel’s relationship hat suffered under Daniel switching teams. Tough they were still close enough that Daniel seemed to be one of the only people in the paddock who was able to calm Max down, be it from anger or anxiety. 

Daniel was in his driver’s room, cooling down after qualifying, when Alex burst into his room. “You have to come with me. Quickly! Max is losing his shit.” Cursing, Daniel got up and jogged after Alex who was already ahead of him. “What happened this time? I thought he was fine after qualy? He’s starting in P2 after all.” Daniel asked when he caught up with Alex. “Qualy is not the problem. Remember Dilara? Apparently Esteban had a one night stand with her a while back and Max found out somehow. He immediately became angry and charged onto Este, even though him and Dilara have been broken up for a while. When Seb sent me to get you they still hadn’t torn Max away from Esteban.” – “Fuck.” Was all Dan could say as he quickened his step. He never really understood what Max had wanted with the Beta woman. She was pretty and you could have a fun time with her but Max always seemed uncomfortable around her, like he didn’t want to be with her. They still dated for nearly two years but Max had seemed relieved when they broke up. Because of that he couldn’t understand why Max would react that way. He himself had told Daniel, sometime after the break up, that he was happy to be rid of her and that she certainly wasn’t his mate. 

Daniel was ripped out of his thoughts when he heard angry, quite hoarse screams. Him and Alex rounded the corner and saw Max pinned to the floor by Kimi, Lewis and Daniil. Even tough Max had three Alphas sitting on top of him he was still screaming and thrashing about, completely incoherent. He was completely out of it and smelled of fear and confusion. Esteban was nowhere to be seen, apparently someone already managed to get him away from the scene. Daniel took a deep breath and approached the mess that was Max and the others. He kneeled down near his head, and stroke Max’s cheek while rumbling softly. At first Max didn’t seem to notice him and continued to thrash about and growl half out of anger and half out of fear.

After a few seconds of having his face touched he snapped out of it, stilled and his eyes flew to Daniels. “Hey Maxy, are you back with me?” Daniel said while still comforting the other Alpha. To the surprise of everyone Max let out a heart breaking whimper, and nuzzled his cheek against Dan’s hand in order to hide his face and to gain more comfort. Daniel could feel his hand getting damp and Max’s scent changing from angry to sad in seconds. He signalled to the three men who were still on top of Max to move, they looked shocked at the sudden change in his mood and slowly started to release him. Dan held his breath but moved himself so that Max’s head was in his lap, his hand still stroking the younger’s cheek. As soon as Max realised that he was sort of cuddled against Dan he broke out into full body rocking sobs. Dan signalled to the other people in the room, who couldn’t believe Max’s sudden change in emotions, to leave, which they quickly did. They were now alone in a meeting room which allowed them at least some privacy. Max still sobbed in to Daniel’s shirt. So he just bent over the younger and tried to comfort him with quiet rumbles and his scent and waited until he had calmed down enough to explain what the hell was going on.

Daniel was not able to recall how much time had passed. Max continued to cry, only his sent became less harsh but just as sad. In between Dan had managed to shift them so that Max was cuddled against his belly and lying between his legs. After more, seemingly endless, minutes Max’s crying hat seized into little sniffles and him trying to catch his breath. Dan still didn’t dare to speak and continued to nuzzle the back of Max’s head and focused on keeping his scent calm, despite his own confusion and inner turmoil. He really liked the young Alpha, he would even say they had a special connection that he hadn’t felt with anyone else but Max recently made it more and more difficult to be around. Max also seemed to cut Daniel off in some ways after his switch to Renault, obvious that it had hurt him. They never talked about it, but both men knew that their dynamics had changed and it wasn’t Dan’s fault. Once upon a time it also wasn’t uncommon for them to cuddle for a little bit. Especially during Max’s first two seasons in F1 when he had still been unsure of himself – to be honest he seems more instable now than he did back then – and his place in the team and on the grid. Their shared cuddles had never been as intimate and as long as this though. Daniel could feel his Alpha instincts enjoyed being so close to the younger again.

While Dan was contemplating his thoughts Max was starting to shift. He didn’t attempt to get up but it seemed he was trying to find a more comfortable position. Dan had enough tough, he wanted an explanation. He lightly nudged Max “Hey, do you want to talk about what happened?” Max just shook his head and buried his face deeper in Dan’s stomach. The latter just sighed and continued to pat his head. After some more time of them just quietly sitting in a corner, a slight knock sounded against the door. Max immediately tensed and started to growl low in his throat, his scent becoming scared again. Dan shushed him and called the person in. 

Lando poked his head through the door, although a bit hesitant. When he saw that Max had calmed down he slowly walked towards the pair with a bag. When Max smelled Lando he stopped growling and his scent became more tolerable again, after all he was quite fond of the little Omega. Lando knelt down next to the pair and gestured to the bag “Some food and water. You’ve been in here a while.” Then he nuzzled Dan’s cheek and the back of Max’s head and swiftly got up and left, closing the door behind him.

Dan noticed how hungry he had gotten. He nudged Max’s head again “Can you sit up and have some food and water? We don’t have to talk but I think we both need something in our stomachs.” Max whimpered but nodded his head and slowly started to sit up. His face was pale, full of dried tear tracks and he looked absolutely exhausted. Dan moved him sideways, so he was sitting with his side, against Dan’s front. This way they could still stay close to each other but upright enough to eat. Dan reached into the bag and retrieved two water bottles, two sandwiches, a blanket and some Snickers bars. Dan placed the blanket around themselves, it smelled like fresh soap which Daniel appreciated, not knowing if the scent of another person might trigger Max into a new screaming fit. He opened one bottle and held it up for Max to drink who was just staring blankly ahead. With little nudges and positive affirmations Dan got Max to drink and eat (well he mostly fed him, but still a success). After Max had also eaten two Snicker bars he yawned, but for the first time since the incident Max smelled a little bit more content and less confused, which was a win in Daniel’s books since his smell was the only indicator of how Max was feeling. 

Daniel felt tired too and as he checked his watch he noticed it was already past midnight. He sighed, they had a race tomorrow and spending all night on a hard office floor would only do more harm. His body already felt sore and stiff. He reached up to calmly rub Max’s back “Do you want to go back to my motorhome? We’re both tired and need to sleep. It’s already past midnight, I doubt anybody will be outside and see us. We don’t have to talk but I think we should get out of here.” After a few moments of silence Max slowly nodded. Daniel squeezed his shoulder, and slowly detangled Max from himself. He moved the blanked around Max’s shoulders, packed their trash into their bag and got up. He pulled Max up and guided him out of the room, luckily no one was outside.

On their way to the motorhomes they only encountered the odd bodyguard who would leave them alone as they saw Dan’s glares. In his room he first put Max on his bed. Then he went to the restroom, to splash some water into his face and to collect himself. He was beyond tired and confused and just holding himself together for Max’s sake. It didn’t help that his Alpha instincts liked taking care of the younger man. He was still surprised how vulnerable Max hat let himself become, he usually possessed a stony and strong exterior, sometimes letting through his funny and playful side, but never fear and confusion this publicly. Daniel took another deep breath and went to his mini fridge to get some more water. He also changed into some joggers and a hoodie, before grabbing the same for Max. 

When he returned to his bedroom Max was there just as he had left him, sitting at the edge of the bed with the blanked around his shoulders and staring blankly ahead. Daniel stayed in the door frame and softly called Max’s name. The latter’s eyes shifted into focus and looked at Dan. “Do you want to change into something more comfortable? I brought you some joggers and a hoodie.” Max nodded at the question and stretched his hand towards Dan. He came over and placed the clothes next to Max on the bed. “I will let you chance in peace, just open the door when you’re done and I’ll come back in,” Daniel said and left the room, closing the door behind himself. He and Max had changed in front of each other before but tonight Daniel wanted to give Max as much privacy as he could, after being so –uncharacteristically- vulnerable all day. He also didn’t offer to sleep on the sofa, because he knew Max needed the physical comfort today. He just wished he would talk, instead of brokenly staring into nothingness.

Dan could hear footsteps and the door to his bedroom opened slightly. He waited until he was sure Max was lying down in bed before he entered. Max was cuddled under the blankets on the far side of the bed, nearly half asleep. Daniel got into the bed as well and wordlessly took Max into his arms. When the younger Alpha immediately cuddled into his chest Dan knew he had made the right choice and once more started to rumble comfortingly at the man in his arms. It didn’t take long for Max to fall asleep, finally looking peaceful. Dan watched him sleep, still too confused to do the same. After another hour and Max sleeping soundly he also, finally, drifted off to sleep, wondering what the race day would hold.


	2. After the Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after Max's outburst

When Daniel woke up he immediately knew he was alone in bed. He couldn’t feel Max’s presence and the room only smelt faintly of the other Alpha. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and sighed. The clothes he had given to Max the night before, sat neatly folded up on a chair in the corner. Daniels phone started to ring, he picked it up without checking the screen.

“Hello?” – “Hi, mate. You’re meant to start your day. I am on my way with breakfast. Are you alright? Lando told me about yesterday.” Michael said in greeting. Dan took another deep breath, “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m in my motorhome. I’ll jump in the shower and we’ll talk when you get here.” He hung up before the other could answer him.

Michael was already there waiting for him when he entered his small sitting room. Dan rumbled in greeting and sat down and nuzzled the other Alpha’s cheek. Michael returned the gesture and they started to eat in silence. Michael finished his food before Dan and leaned back. Looking at him expectantly, his scent turned curious.

Daniel dropped his fork and looked at his friend, “I guess Lando told you the main story, there actually isn’t much to add. He was a mess. I comforted him and managed to calm him down but we didn’t really talk. He refused to. As it was getting late I brought him here and we cuddled in my bed, but he was gone when I woke up.”

Daniel sighed and put his face in his hands, feeling just as overwhelmed as he had the night before. His instincts telling him to find Max, to make him talk and fix him or whatever situation was going on. Michael, seeing his friends despair, scooted closed and scratched the others neck to calm him down. Daniel felt slightly better, but he still didn’t know what the best course of action would be.  
“Should I talk to him before the race? It’s already in a few hours and I wouldn’t wanna upset Max and endanger his race. I’m pretty sure Christian and the FIA know already. After all he hurt Esteban.” Michael nodded in agreement, “How about you leave it until after the race and try to talk to Kimi? He can tell you what actually happened before Max lashed out. He might also know if Max will have to face any consequences.” Dan rumbled in agreement. They stayed close to each other for a few more moments, enjoying the last quiet moment of the day. Dan nosed Michaels cheek one last time, then the two Aussies got up to face the day. 

Daniel had to attend an early team meeting ahead of the race. After wards he had four hours left until light’s out. He was tempted to head to the Red Bull garage and force Max to talk but he knew it would be pointless. So he did the next best thing and went looking for Kimi, maybe the Finn could give him more answers about yesterday’s conflict and what the FIA planned on doing now.  
He quickly found Kimi at the Alpha Romeo garage looking over some data sheets next to his car. Kimi could smell Daniel approach and looked at him questioningly. The Aussie gave a low rumble and bared his neck in greeting: “Can we talk somewhere private? I think we need to get our stories straight on what happened yesterday.” 

The older Alpha grumbled his agreement and led the way to his driver room. There Kimi sat on his Sofa and motioned for Dan to settle down on an empty chair in the corner. “I think you know the most of what happened before your arrival. Pierre, Alex, Esteban, Daniil, Lewis, Lance and I were in that room talking when suddenly Max burst in. He shouted at Esteban, I didn’t really get what he was saying, and then tackled him. 

It all went down very quickly. Max started to scream and punch at Esteban so Lewis, Daniil and I grabbed Max and wrangled him away and Lance and Pierre quickly dragged Esteban out of the room. We tried to calm Max down but he wouldn’t listen so I sent Alex to come get you. That’s all.”, Kimi finished his unusually long speech. Daniel sighed, that was less information than he had hoped for. It didn’t explain Max’s outburst. Yes, he often got angry and started shouting. Recently it had occurred more often and Max lost his temper quicker but physically assaulting someone, with more than a few half-hearted punches, was new for Max.

Daniel looked up at Kimi who eyed him expectantly. “If you want an explanation from me for Max’s behaviour I don’t know what to tell you. As soon as you all left he cried for ages. Even when he had calmed himself down, he wouldn’t talk to me or look at me. I just cuddled him and later took him to my motorhome, he slept in my arms and when I woke up this morning he was already gone. What was I supposed to do?

I couldn’t force him to talk he would only close up further. I am the only person he still half listens to and who he lets close. He is starting to shut me out as well and last night didn’t help. I am worried about him and about the dynamics among the drivers. I don’t know what to do or how to get closer to him again. What will the FIA do when they hear about the incident? He can’t be banned from racing. It would make it worse. I… I don’t know what to do Kimi. He is my friend and I can’t help him.”

As he finished, Daniel realised how helpless he felt. He had ignored it last night when the feeling first welled up but now as he stared at the stoic Finn he couldn’t ignore it anymore. He started to cry. Out of sadness, frustration and helplessness. He was Max’s only friend and the young man was slowly pulling away into depths that left him all alone. Daniel had no idea how he was supposed to reach him at rock bottom. 

Kimi slowly got up and crouched before the crying Alpha. He took him into his arms and started to rumble deep in his chest to comfort the younger. Daniel who wasn’t used to Kimi being so affectionate to him just let himself be held for a moment. It comforted him to know he wasn’t alone. “Don’t worry about the FIA. I went and talk to Todt last night. They know about the change in Max’s general behaviour and have decided to investigate Max. Not as means to ban him from F1 but to help him. He is hot headed and has a quick temper but he isn’t violent or constantly angry as he seems to be now.” Kimi explained while still hugging Dan. He leaned back, keeping his hands on Daniels shoulders.

“They will look into the situation and try to find a source for Max’s behaviour. Once they have found something – I guess it will take a few weeks - they will call a private meeting. Todt, You and me will fix this okay? I may have my problems with Max but he is just a pup who needs help and I want to see him thrive, alright?”, Kimi explained with an almost fatherly look. Daniel sighed in relief and nodded. There was hope for Max and Dan was determined to do everything in his power to help him.

Kimi squeezed Dan’s shoulder and sat back down on the sofa, “I think the best thing we can do is to ignore the situation. Don’t try and talk to Max about it except he brings it up of course. I suggest you try to spend as much time with him as you can and strengthen your friendship. In order to help Max we need someone close to him and it seems like you’re the last person in the paddock he trusts. One way or another it will be allright.” Daniel gave a final nod at Kimi and got up and left.

____

Max had previously qualified in second and Daniel in sixth. Max managed to finish the race in second place and Daniel finally crossed the line in 4th. There he saw his chance. He hoped Max would be in a good mood and was maybe up to celebrate their high point finish. They hadn’t had drinks together in a while.  
Daniel got out of his car and immediately went over to Max who had just finished celebrating with the Red Bull crew. He padded Max on the back, “Well done mate!” He said as cheerful as he could. Max whipped around and looked at Dan in shock. Without missing a beat Dan asked: “You okay there? Congrats on the podium! I’m serious. I wouldn’t have been able to hold Bottas off as long as you did. Do you want to go clubbing tonight to celebrate? Michael has to leave earlier which means I can get pissed without him knowing.” Daniel made sure to put on his most cheerful and convincing smile.

Max still remained silent, his eyes squinted together in distrust. When he still couldn’t notice any signs of Dan being fake or trying to bring up last night’s events he let his distrusting façade fall. “Thank you mate! Congrats on fourth must have been a harsh fight. I’d love to go out. I haven’t let loose for a while.”, Max smiled at him not seeming to fully trust Daniel. The older let out a reassuring smile:” Cool. I’ll sort something out and text you the details later. Enjoy your podium.” Without further ado he turned around and left.

_____

After he had finished all of his media duties, showered and was back at his hotel he made a few calls to sort out their evening. He though it would be best to bring someone else along that Max liked to act as a buffer between them if things got awkward. He had an idea and phoned up Nico Hulkenberg, knowing the other hadn’t brought along his Beta girlfriend for the weekend. He was always up for a night out. He quickly phoned the German and didn’t even need to convince him much because Hulk easily agreed to go out with him and Max. 

Next he called his assistant from Renault asking her to organise them a car to get them to and from the club. Also to reserve them a table in one of Barcelona’s more exclusive clubs. He didn’t want to have to deal with eager fans tonight. 30 minutes later he got a text from his assistant with all the details. He forwarded the text to Max and Hulk who each send him a ‘thumbs up’ emoji in reply.  
It was now 8pm and their car wouldn’t pick them up until 10.30pm. Dan decided to have a nap before getting ready for the evening. It might help his slowly building up nerves before meeting Max again.

When the three drivers met up in the lobby Max seemed actually excited to go out with Daniel and Hulk. Apparently he had continued his podium celebrations and was already a little drunk. Daniel didn’t mind one bit if this meant that Max was less tense around him. He ushered Max and Hulk into the car and off they went to explore the Barcelonan night life.

The club Daniels assistant had chosen for them was just to Daniels taste. The music was a good mix of popular genres, they had their own space in a VIP area and the club was exclusive for higher paying guests which meant to fans but still opportunities to take someone home with you. 

Daniel wasn’t sure what the best course for tonight would be. His main mission was to bond with Max and to show him that they could still be bros who went clubbing and also be the sort of friend who would hold you as you cried your eyes out. Although Daniel doubted that the latter would occur all that often if ever again.

He decided against getting to drunk. He couldn’t trust his drunken self to not bring up last night’s event. He couldn’t deny that he kind of hoped Max would get drunk enough to talk about last night. Alcohol had always helped to loosen the Dutchman’s tongue.

The three Alphas headed straight to the bar and ordered themselves shots and long drinks to start the night. The music in the club was actually too loud to talk properly. After they had finished their drinks Daniel convinced his companions on the dance floor.

He music was loud, the bass was thumping and Daniel moved to the beat, loosing himself in the music. It was nice to just let loose and dance without worrying for once. Hulk and Max seemed to enjoy themselves just as much. After a few songs Daniel had to take a break. The mix of all the excited scents of the other Alphas, Betas and Omegas and the smell of sweat started to become unbearable. 

Daniel signalled the other two that he would head to their table. Hulk moved to follow but Max just shook his head and moved further into the crowd. Daniel would have preferred to keep Max close to him but they were here to have fun so he followed Hulk to their table. 

They were set on a kind of balcony overlooking the dance floor, a new drink in hand Daniel tried to spot Max but the light was too low to properly make out any individuals in the mass of dancing bodies. “Stop worrying about him. He is a grownup after all!”, Hulk shouted at Daniel quite amused. Daniel looked at his teammate with a raised eyebrow, disbelief written all over his face. Hulk raised his hands in defence, “I know, I know. I heard whispers about last night and I get that you worry. This is Max though. We both know he can be a sweetheart. He is young, he has a stressful job. He probably just needs to find an Omega tonight, blow off some steam and all will be well!” 

That was apparently the wrong thing to say. Daniels Alpha side growled in displeasure at the thought of Max just fucking another random Omega. Bewildered at the pang of jealousy he felt he tried to push these feelings down. If the answer to Max’s recent outburst would have been solved by having sex they wouldn’t have all these problems and the bloody FIA investigating Max. Yet here they were. Also to be honest Max was a young, attractive and successful millionaire he had more than enough sex. This couldn’t be the problem

After having another drink Daniel decided to head out to the dance floor once again, Hulk stayed behind rather texting his girlfriend. The Aussie found Max easily enough surrounded by a group of mostly Omega women. When Daniel arrived they soon included him in their circle and continued to move to the beat. 

It was quite quickly obvious that Max had taken a liking to a small auburn haired Omega woman. First they started dancing together which turned into grinding after a few songs. Encouraged by her friend’s success a blond, pretty Beta who stood next to Daniel tried to get closer to him, which he let happen, although he didn’t put his hands on her hips as Max had done to his partner.

After a few more rounds of dancing Daniel noticed that Max tried to get his attention. He directed his gaze fully at Max giving him a questioning look. It became obvious that Max was signalling him he meant to take off with his date. Daniel was pleased that Max didn’t just vanish but felt uneasy at the thought of Max having a one-night stand. After Max and the small Omega had left Daniel’s dance partner doubled her efforts to seduce Daniel. The Australian Alpha wasn’t in the mood. Too tired from the day and too confused by his emotions he told the Beta no and excused himself. Hulk was here he left him and they took a taxi home since Max and his date had taken their original car.

When they departed Spain the next day Daniel couldn’t spot Max anywhere, he had meant to check up on the other driver after last night. Although they didn’t really talk to each other last night –besides small talk- Daniel knew he had made progress with Max. He felt the younger trusted him not to pry for Max’s feelings when he didn’t want to share the.  
The next race would be held in Monaco. Daniel supposed he could use the time when they were both home to get closer to Max and to maybe – he still had hopes – find out what caused the assault on Esteban. For now, he was looking forward to spend some time in his own home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the second chapter!  
> Please leave your theories, criticism, or thoughts on the chapter in the comments! I really appreciate the feedback!
> 
> For further questions you can also find me on tumblr @vroomvroomintomyheart :)

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first proper attempt at a fic and writing ABO! Comments, Kudos, criticism, questions and feedback are appreciated.  
> Also English is not my first language so bear with me in the beginning. I hope to edit the whole thing as I go along. I will update the tags as I go along.
> 
> Find me on tumblr for further questions @vroomvroomintomyheart !


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